Thoughts from The Friendship Factor

I want to tell you about a book I just reread: The Friendship Factor by Alan Loy McGinnis.

In the preface to his second edition McGinnis writes:

“Why would a book about relationships—with many references to the life of Jesus—be of interest to companies such as IBM, Metropolitan Life, and Robertson’s Ready-Mix? As I met high-level executives of such companies at their meetings in many parts of the world, I learned the reason. They told me that human interactions were the single most difficult challenge they faced in their organizations—far more difficult than technological problems. . . .

All the more reason to roll up our sleeves and keep working on our friendships together in these monthly checkups.

This month, I give us all two questions from chapter 2 of The Friendship Factor.

Do you have at least one person nearby whom you can call on in times of personal distress?
Do you have several people whom you can visit with little or not advance warning?

McGinnis goes on to explain that if you answer no to these questions, it could be that you are so busy being busy that you haven’t taken the time to cultivate a few deep friendships.

“The fact of the matter is that one cannot have a profound connection with more than a few people. Time prohibits it. Deep friendship requires cultivation over the years. . . . “

So, Dear Reader, I challenge you as I challenge myself: What do you need to change in your life to make time to cultivate one deep friendship as described above?

And for those of you who answered yes to the questions above, how did you cultivate these kinds of friendships?

If you have never read The Friendship Factor, I highly recommend it.  http://www.amazon.com/The-Friendship-Factor-Closer-People/dp/0806635711